This weekend marks a first-ever collaboration on a suite of exhibitions under the theme Hunter Red across the Hunter’s three major public galleries (Newcastle Art Gallery, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and Maitland Regional Art Gallery) along with cutting-edge creative space, The Lock-Up. Hunter Red draws from the colloquial tourism phrase for a good locally-made red wine, repositioning it as a term open to interpretation, with all four spaces offering their own creative fingerprint. Newcastle Art Gallery’s contribution to the project is titled, Corpus, with works unified by themes of the body represented in different and arresting ways – controlled, out of control, stolen, the abject of “other”. It includes works by Nell, Bill Henson and Francisco Goya. Official opening is Friday, May 25, 5.30pm. The Lock-Up show, Seeing Red, focuses on the city’s history of political activism. Official opening: Saturday, May 26, 5.30pm. Maitland’s show, Razzamatazz, showcases theatrical, vibrant collected artworks from the Hunter Region. It includes works by Tony Albert, George Gittoes, Tracy Moffatt, Martin Sharp, Wendy Sharpe and Nell. Official opening: Sunday, May 27, 10am. The Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery show, titled, Re(A)d Earth, presents contemporary Aboriginal artists’ perspectives on connection to country and acknowledges “reading” of the earth as elemental for all Aboriginal people. Offficial opening: Sunday, May 27, 2.30pm.

Powerful presentation of art in the Hunter Region

Hunter Red: Detail from Juz Kitson's work, Thousands of words exist silently in your memory, 2017, at Newcastle Art Gallery. The exhibition is titled Corpus and runs through July 22.

This weekend marks a first-ever collaboration on a suite of exhibitions under the theme Hunter Red across the Hunter’s three major public galleries (Newcastle Art Gallery, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and Maitland Regional Art Gallery) along with cutting-edge creative space, The Lock-Up.

Hunter Red draws from the colloquial tourism phrase for a good locally-made red wine, repositioning it as a term open to interpretation, with all four spaces offering their own creative fingerprint.

Newcastle Art Gallery’s contribution to the project is titled, Corpus, with works unified by themes of the body represented in different and arresting ways – controlled, out of control, stolen, the abject of “other”. It includes works by Nell, Bill Henson and Francisco Goya. Official opening is Friday, May 25, 5.30pm.

The Lock-Up show, Seeing Red, focuses on the city’s history of political activism. Official opening: Saturday, May 26, 5.30pm.

At Maitland: Treasure, a work by Nell, is part of the Razzamatazz exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.

The Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery show, titled, Re(A)d Earth, presents contemporary Aboriginal artists’ perspectives on connection to country and acknowledges “reading” of the earth as elemental for all Aboriginal people. Offficial opening: Sunday, May 27, 2.30pm.